Reconstruction post US Civil War

Lincoln and the Slavery Issue

  • Key Question: To what extent was Lincoln the Great Emancipator?

  • Initial Stance (1861):

    • Determined to maintain Northern unity; felt a policy of emancipation would alienate Northern Democrats and Union slave states (Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Delaware).

    • Lincoln declared: "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists."

    • Congress supported this approach through the Crittenden Resolution, which aimed not to disturb Southern rights.

The Push for Emancipation

  • Contraband of War:

    • Issues arose concerning the treatment of runaway slaves who escaped to Union camps.

    • General Benjamin Butler declared these slaves as "contraband of war" to avoid returning them to Confederate owners. This avoided the question of their freedom and exploited the legal arguments surrounding property rights.

    • Supported by the Confiscation Act (August 1861), which allowed property used for insurrection to be confiscated, though the status of confiscated slaves remained unsettled.

  • Radical Republicans' Influence:

    • Realization that merely fighting slaveholders without attacking slavery itself was ineffective (Frederick Douglass).

    • Some Radicals genuinely concerned for black Americans, while others aimed to punish slaveholders for the war.

    • By December 1861, many Republicans leaned towards a tougher stance against slavery, moving away from the Crittenden Resolution.

Lincoln's Evolving Views (1861-1862)

  • General Fremont's Proclamation:

    • Fremont freed slaves of Confederate supporters in Missouri in August 1861; Lincoln ordered its rescind as it was too radical.

  • Lincoln's Hesitance:

    • Recognized slavery as a moral evil but feared alienating Northern Democrats and slaveholding states.

    • Maintained focus on preserving the Union over addressing slavery directly.

Towards Emancipation Proclamation

  • Congressional Actions:

    • In the spring of 1862, Congress abolished slavery in Washington, D.C. with compensation for owners, and slavery in federal territories; introduced a second Confiscation Act allowing for the freedom of slaves in enemy territories.

  • Lincoln's Political Maneuvers:

    • In March 1862, Lincoln proposed gradual compensated emancipation, which received Congressional support but failed with Union slave states.

The Emancipation Proclamation (1862)

  • Strategic Decision:

    • By mid-1862, pressured by Radical Republicans and wary of the future implications of slavery, Lincoln decided on emancipation.

    • Presented the Proclamation to his cabinet in July 1862, receiving mixed responses. He decided to wait for a Union military victory before formally issuing it.

  • Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (Sept 22, 1862):

    • Declared that all slaves in rebellious states would be free as of January 1, 1863. However, it left slavery untouched in Union slave states and was strategic not moral.

Reactions to the Emancipation Proclamation

  • Initial mixed responses, with Union soldiers and abolitionists generally supportive. However, many Northern Democrats criticized it as detrimental to peace.

  • The issuance of the Proclamation turned the Civil War into a conflict over emancipation in the eyes of many and weakened the Confederacy's chances of foreign support.

The Thirteenth Amendment

  • Legislative Action:

    • Aimed at ensuring the abolition of slavery post-war; passed by the Senate in 1864 and ratified in January 1865.

  • Lincoln’s Role:

    • As Commander-in-Chief, he articulated that by freeing slaves, he was also preserving the Union, making emancipation a central war aim.

The Great Emancipator?

  • By the war's end, many viewed Lincoln's actions through a nuanced lens: while he moved cautiously and often based on necessity, he ultimately played a crucial role in the emancipation of four million slaves.

  • Historians' Perspectives:

    • Some posit that Lincoln's measures were reactive, deeply influenced by the actions of escaping slaves and Radical Republicans.

Reconstruction Aims post-Civil War

  • Focus on re-integrating Confederate states into the Union, involving themes of loyalty and the rights of the newly freed slaves.

  • Reconstruction began as a response to the war but was shaped by differing intentions in political leadership (Lincoln and Johnson).

The Political Landscape post-Civil War

  • Lincoln favored quick restoration but faced challenges with differing Republican factions, particularly concerning the treatment of freed slaves and the Southern elite during the Reconstruction phase.